Australia

New Zealander Neil Schierning is right in the heart of the flooding in Queensland. He lives in the town of Gympie, 160kms north of Brisbane.

Mr Schierning has lived in the area for 4 years, his wife Sue for 9 years and they both say they've never seen anything like this in their time there - and neither have the locals. "All locals and longtime residents say they have never seen so much rain. We had 554 mm in December and so far to date 380 mm in January" said Mr Schierning.

The Queensland Government has launched an appeal to help fellow Queenslanders affected by the recent floods. Many communities have been devastated. Some families have lost everything. You can help make a difference by donating to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal.

Brisbane saw drenching rain in the second half of 2010, leading to an annual total of 1659mm and the wettest year since 1974.

The high rainfall totals were a result of the current La Nina pattern, which began to ramp up from October of 2010. During a La Nina pattern the easterly trade winds strengthen over the Pacific, directing high amounts of moisture over eastern Australia.

Australia's northeastern state of Queensland begins 2011 facing historic river flooding along many coastal rivers, namely the Fitzroy River near the city of Rockhampton. In Rockhampton, the river has reached its crest at a height exceeded only once in recorded history, back in January 1918.

CNN -- More evacuations were underway in the flood-ravaged Australian state of Queensland on Tuesday as waters continued to rise.

Relief teams continued rushing supplies into the eastern city of Rockhampton. In some of the state's more rural areas, farmers said they were scrambling to send tons of crops out before waters damaged them and flooding made their transport impossible.